Emirates Team NZ win AUDI Medcup circuit in yet another day of damage in the fleet

When they docked out at noon, nobody had any doubt that Emirates Team New Zealand would finally be crowned champions of the Med on Saturday but they still hadn't mathematically pocketed the trophy with 6 races remaining to be sailed.

Yet, with a 3rd, a 2nd and a victory in today's three races not only have they secured the title, they once again demonstrated their supremacy. A combination of nearly flawless crew work, right-on-spot tactics and, obviously, boat speed, resulted in a 63-point buffer that is probably poised to increase tomorrow.

Further down the leaderboard, the fight for 2nd and 3rd place overall became tighter as, with the exception of Bigamist, all three of the other contenders stumbled in at least one race. Quantum is second with a 5-point advantage over Artemis. Bigamist leis 4th, a mere 1.5 points behind while Matador is now 5th suffering from their poor performance today. Still, just 8 points separate 2nd from 5th and everything is up for grabs tomorrow.

In order to have more chances at holding three races in the final day, the race committee moved the start one hour earlier, at noon. Don't forget to tune in on Valencia Sailing to watch the day's racing live through the Virtual Eye technology.

Video highlights from day 4 of the Cartagena Trophy. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Video copyright AUDI Medcup

Race 1
The day's first race was undoubtedly the trickiest one from a tactical point of view and without any doubt the protagonists were Quantum and Bigamist, the former for leading from start to finish and the latter for the huge gain they made in the 2nd beat, by opting for the right, and leapfrogged to finish second. Third was, who else, Emirates Team New Zealand. The kiwi boat didn't have an excellent first beat but thanks to Ray Davies' tactical calls they climbed their way through the fleet.

Start of the 1st race where Artemis really blows it, throwing away a good opportunity to hold on to 2nd overall in the circuit. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Quantum approaches the windward mark with a comfortable lead. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

It's a pattern often repeated this week. Valars is second at the first top mark but then slips back. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team New Zealand rounds the weather mark 5th. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The fleet rounds the weather mark with Artemis dead last. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Quantum leads at the leeward gate. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Bribón and Emirates Team NZ in the 2nd beat. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Quantum enjoys a healthy lead in the last run. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Quantum enjoys a healthy lead in the last run. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Excellent race for Bigamist that sits 2nd at the last run. Tactician Hugo Rocha made a great call in the 2nd beat by going furthest to the right. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Quantum sails to victory in the 1st race. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Can racing get any closer? After one hour of sailing 5 boats finish within 15 seconds. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Race 2
As the afternoon progressed the breeze picked up and the kiwi war machine shift into high gear. Still, the real story of the race wasn't Ray Davies but Hugo Rocha on Bigamist. The Portuguese tactician had sensed once again the right shift and like the first race made a tremendous gain on the 2nd beat and sneaked into first place when Artemis and Matador got tangled into a port-starboard incident at the weather mark. Emirates Team NZ had slipped back but a great last run allowed them to get back in the game and even threaten Bigamist with a photo finish, crossing the line just 4 seconds behind them. Quantum finished third while the penalty turn Artemis had to execute resulted into a 7th-place finish.

Start of the 2nd race. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Bigamist and Cristabella in the 1st beat. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

You don't need to be a rocket scientist to guess what boat rounded the 1st weather mark in the lead. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Bribón and Quantum round the to mark 2nd and 3rd respectively. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Bigamist rounds the 1st weather mark at the back of the fleet, sitting 9th. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team Nz charges away at the 2nd beat while Quantum struggles with the spinnaker drop. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Despite the sloppy crew work at times, such as here at the leeward gate, Synergy are within 6 points of 6th place overall in the circuit. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Riccardo Simoneschi's AUDI Q8 struggled to find her pace today. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Sorry for the quality, it was taken from very far. Bigamist has a great 2nd beat, arrives at the top mark 3rd and sneaks between Artemis and Matador, grabbing the lead. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Artemis offload their penalty after the offset mark and drop 5 places. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Emirates Team NZ have a great run, weave their way through through the fleet and finish a mere 4 seconds behind Bigamist. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Race 3
The day's third and last race was by far the most thrilling with a brisk breeze that topped 22 knots and big seas, similar to Thursday. Emirates Team New Zealand finished the day with a victory, after alternating leadership with Bribón and Synergy that crossed the line 2nd and 3rd respectively. Nevertheless, the testing conditions didn't leave the fleet unscathed and the biggest victim, by far, was Cristabella when the top 1.5 meters of their mast broke off.

Start of the 3rd race. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Matador sailing in the 1st beat. The Argentineans have sailed 5 mediocre races in Cartgena and are sitting 8th in the Trophy. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Quantum and Bribón sailing in the 1st beat. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Synergy leads the race at the 1st windward mark. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Artemis approaching the 1st windward mark. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Cristabella rounding the 1st windward mark. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Cristabella rounding the 1st windward mark. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

Cristabella rounding the 1st windward mark when a loud bang is heard from the top of the mast. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing

The top 1.5 meters from Cristabella's mast snapped off. Cartagena, 18 September 2009. Photo copyright Pierre Orphanidis / Valencia Sailing